Category: Swiss-German and Mennonite Immigrants to Pennsylvania

Categories: Mennonites | 17th Century American Immigration | Pennsylvania History


First Immigrants to William Penn's Pennsylvania ca.1686 through the 18th century

This is a sub-project for early settlers from Switzerland and Germany (a large portion of whom were Mennonites) who settled on land owned by William Penn. Profiles listed below include only the first immigrant to Pennsylvania. Descendants who were born in the "New World" are not listed to preserve space and keep the distinction of the primary immigrant profiles.

Seeking freedom from decades of religious persecution in Switzerland and Germany, entire communities of Mennonites emigrated to Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

Lancaster County

For additional resources, including a list of settlers from 1709-1719, got to the Free-space profile: First Settlers in Lancaster

"THE earliest white settlements within the territory now embraced in the county of Lancaster were made by people called (on account of their religious belief) Mennonites, who had emigrated to America from Switzerland and the Palatinate [in Germany]. The first of these who settled here came in 1709, and they were followed in the next and succeeding years by others of the same people. They were not only the first, but were also more numerous than any other class of the pioneer settlers in this region. Their earliest settlements were made along Little Beaver Creek, and where the city of Lancaster now stands, from which localities they afterwards spread over other parts of the county." [Ellis, Frank and Samuel Evans, "History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men," Everts & Peck, Philadelphia, 1833, p.19]

Lancaster County "Pioneer" Settlers of 1711 (arriving 1710 on the Maria Hope) and Initial 1709 Warrant of 10,000 acres issued to: [Friesen, Steve, "A Modest Mennonite Home: The Story of the 1719 Hans Herr House, an Early Colonial Landmark," Good Books, Intercourse, PA, 1990, ISBN 0-934672-90-3]

  1. Hans (John) Herr (Hans, Sr. or his son Hans?)
  2. Christian Herr (son of Hans, Sr.)
  3. Martin Kendig (Hans Sr.'s brother-in-law?)
  4. Jacob Miller
  5. Martin Oberholtzer*
  6. John (Heinrich?) Funck (confirm?)
  7. Hans Gräff (confirm?)
  8. Wendel Bauman (confirm?)
  9. Micael Oberholtzer* (son of Martin)
  10. John Bundeli* (land agent)

these men * dropped out of the purchase

Two others were added later to the actual deed issued 1711:

Subcategories (4)


Pages (3)


Person Profiles (136)

B

1672 Selbitz, Oberfranken, Bayern, Heiliges Römisches Reich - 1749
bef 01 Apr 1681 Thun, Canton, Bern, Switzerland - 10 Apr 1735
20 Jun 1766 Berks, Pennsylvania - 20 Jun 1824 photo
1728 Switzerland - aft Sep 1771
abt 1707 Eggiwil, Canton of Bern, Switzerland - aft 15 Mar 1760
bef 18 Feb 1666 Ranflüh, Emmental District, Canton of Bern, Switzerland - 26 Apr 1720 photo
abt 1700 Eggiwil, Canton of Bern, Switzerland - 26 Mar 1760
abt 04 Jul 1703 Weiler, Sax, Germany - 19 Oct 1739 photo
abt 1705 Griesheim, Darmstadt-Dieburg, Hessen, Heiliges Römisches Reich - 1769
1703 Baden, Aargau, Switzerland - 1740
abt 1752 Kurfürstentum Pfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich - abt Jul 1823
abt 1725 Ibersheim, Worms, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany - abt 1754
1748 Ibersheim, Kurfürstentum Pfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich - 1825
aft 1685 Ibersheim Hof, Kurfürstentum Pfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich - 18 Apr 1748

E

aft 01 Jan 1672 Bern, Switzerland - abt 31 Dec 1732
1738 Bern, Switzerland - 01 May 1802

F

1676 Landau in der Pfalz, Stadt Landau, Rheinland-Pfalz, Deutschland - Aug 1762
26 Mar 1679 Landau in der Pfalz, Stadt Landau, Kurfürstentum Pfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich - abt 1749
1686 Steinweiler, German Palatinate - 19 May 1753 photo
abt 1730 Switzerland - aft 27 Aug 1771
04 Sep 1728 Heiliges Römisches Reich - 26 Oct 1781 photo
12 Nov 1684 Knonau, Knonaueramt, Zürich, Switzerland - abt 12 Nov 1743 photo
23 Mar 1717 Switzerland - 09 Mar 1799 photo
06 Jun 1733 Palatinate, Holy Roman Empire - 10 Apr 1813 photo
abt 1713 Switzerland - 23 May 1794 photo
abt 1662 Kraichgau region, Kurfürstentum Pfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich - abt 05 Sep 1734

G

03 Jun 1739 Hassloch, Kurfürstentum Pfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich
27 Mar 1718 Hassloch, Kurfürstentum Pfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich - 05 Feb 1802 photo
16 May 1740 Hassloch, Kurfürstentum Pfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich - 20 Dec 1818
1661 Baretswil, Rafz, Zurich, Switzerland - bef 07 May 1746 photo
15 Oct 1707 Sinsheim, Rheim-Neckar-Kreis Baden-Württemberg, Germany - 22 Sep 1771

H

23 Nov 1715 Switzerland - 23 Nov 1800
abt 1681 Switzerland - abt 1744
25 Jun 1700 Heiliges Römisches Reich - 05 Sep 1785
abt 1672 Württemberg, Heiliges Römisches Reich - bef 14 Dec 1725
1681 Bern, Switzerland - abt Apr 1735
1702 Heiliges Römisches Reich - 08 Aug 1742
abt 1680 Kurfürstentum Pfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich - abt 1750
abt 1689 The Palitinate, Holy Roman Empire - bef 1741
aft 1672 Germany - abt 12 Sep 1756
bef 27 Jan 1650 Blumenstein, Bern, Switzerland - abt 17 Oct 1725 photo
1715 Kraichgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany - Apr 1777
abt 1682 Kraichgau, Kurfürstentum Pfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich - bef 01 Jan 1748
23 Apr 1702 Germany - 27 Sep 1783
abt 1673 Switzerland - 01 Dec 1725 photo
abt 1668 - 01 Dec 1725

H cont.

abt 1701 Kurfürstentum Pfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich - 23 May 1775
abt 1686 Unterbiegelhof, Bad Rappenau, Württemberg, Heiliges Römisches Reich - 04 Oct 1747
08 Jun 1709 Germany - 20 May 1780 photo
11 Feb 1698 Appenzell, Apenzell Innerroden, Switzerland - 25 Dec 1754
May 1715 Katzbach, Canton of Bern, Switzerland - bef 1800
aft 1728 Manheim, Lancaster, Pennsylvania photo
27 Jan 1689 Katzbach, Bern, Switzerland - abt 1733 photo
10 Sep 1720 Karzbach, Bern, Switzerland - aft 1762
Dec 1718 Nassau-Usingen, Heiliges Römisches Reich - 1768

K

01 May 1639 Auslikon, Pfäffikon, Zürich, Switzerland - 09 Jun 1730
abt 1670 Heidelberg, Kurfürstentum Pfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich - bef 10 Mar 1749
abt 1660 Zurich, Switzerland - 01 Oct 1748
bef 20 Sep 1657 Eggiwil, Bern, Swiss Confederacy - bef 14 May 1733
abt 1690 Province of Alsace - 1757
02 Jul 1671 Pfäffikon, Zürich, Switzerland - 28 Nov 1735

L

02 Sep 1697 Zurich, Switzerland - 1781 photo
1667 Sinsheim, Baden, Heiliges Römisches Reich - 13 Apr 1730 photo
abt 1700 Germany
abt 1700
abt 1710 Germany
abt 1720 Germany
1710 Germany
1700 Germany
abt 1720
abt 1700 Germany
abt 1700
26 Mar 1669 near Chateau-Chinon, Yonne River Valley, France - 01 Oct 1751
1700 Germany
1722 Germany
1700 Germany
abt 09 Oct 1688 Putzkon, Heiliges Römisches Reich - 04 Oct 1756
1724 Germany
07 Nov 1714 Dresden, Sachsen, Heiliges Römisches Reich - 28 Dec 1774
abt 1700
abt 1716 Germany
abt 1710 Germany
abt 1720
abt 1730
abt 1720 Germany
abt 1730
1710 Germany
abt 1720
abt 1730
abt 1710 Germany

L cont.

abt 1720
abt 1720
abt 1720
abt 1720
abt 1700
abt 1710 Germany
1710 Germany
1710 Germany

M

abt 1691 Bern, Schallenberg, Rueschegg, Switzerland - 10 Nov 1784 photo
abt 1676 Switzerland - bef 06 Jun 1751
abt 16 Jan 1691 Zürich, Switzerland - 1739
01 Jan 1665 Switzerland - abt 1749
abt 01 Mar 1663 Switzerland or Germany - 20 Apr 1739
abt 1730 Gemmingen, Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany - abt 17 Jul 1798
1715 West Lampeter Township, Lancaster, Pennsylvania - 16 Aug 1751

N

1705 Bonfield, Germany - 08 Jun 1784 photo
abt 1684 Dühren, Sinsheim, Baden - bef 06 Apr 1745 photo
25 Jun 1709 Zell, Zurich, Switzerland - 1778 photo
bef 29 Feb 1724 Zell, Zürich, Switzerland - 27 Sep 1793
26 Sep 1727 Zürich, Switzerland - 14 Feb 1809

O

abt 1711 Heiliges Römisches Reich - bef 10 Apr 1758

P

10 Oct 1676 Offenbach,,,, Germany - abt 1741 photo
24 Jun 1702 Near Schwarzenau, Witgenstein, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany - 1724 photo
11 Dec 1723 Lower Salford Township, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania - 11 Feb 1804 photo

R

03 Feb 1680 Zürich, Switzerland - abt 1745 photo
12 Aug 1704 Sumiswald, Bern, Switzerland - 12 Feb 1787 photo
10 Sep 1721 Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany - 19 Jul 1809
abt 31 Dec 1724 Schlieren, Zürich, Switzerland - abt 01 May 1800

S

abt 1705 - abt 12 Aug 1757
1659 Baldenheim, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France - 1743
bef 04 May 1688 Grosshöchstetten, Bern, Switzerland - abt 1749
abt 1705 Griesheim, Höchst, Hesse-Nassau, Heiliges Römisches Reich - 28 May 1769 photo
abt 1693 Kurfürstentum Pfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich - abt 1750 photo

U

abt 1694 Switzerland - abt 1738
05 Apr 1685 Albis Hausen, Zürich, Switzerland - abt 1767
abt 1676 Wittgenstein, Westphalia, Prussia, Germany - aft 1719 photo
1685 Hof, Hof, Bavaria, Germany - 1760

W

bef 10 Jan 1658 Bäretswil, Zürich, Switzerland - 17 Dec 1724 photo
1693 Winterthur, Zürich, Switzerland - 1772 photo
Jan 1688 Winterthur, Canton Zürich, Switzerland - 25 Jan 1747 photo
30 Apr 1693 Schaffhausen, Switzerland - abt Jun 1745 photo
abt 1683 Bäretswil, Canton Zürich, Switzerland - bef 29 Apr 1755 photo
1695 Winterthur, Zurich, Switzerland - 1787

Z

abt 1704 Watenwill, Berne, Switzerland - 1767
07 Sep 1673 Wattenwil, Bern, Switzerland - abt 10 Jun 1750 photo




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